It was the perfect excuse to take a minute and we began to converse. I'm excited by another opportunity and humbled by the many attempts in the last few years. Bikes again commandeered the trail all the way up to the first ridge. The time between my two naps in the dark was always my slowest moving period, and on this night it was no different. Before I left my resting spot I pulled on the ultralight tights stowed in the bottom of my backpack. "Paul Pomeroy of Lyons, Colorado just broke Jonathan Basham’s Colorado Trail Record. Despite the awful morning weather, this was the daily moment where I knew I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else or doing this any other way. The 490-mile Colorado Trail (CT) traverses Colorado from Denver to Durango (though it can be run in both directions), and passes through six National Forests, six Wilderness areas, traverses five … Continue reading "Courtney Dauwalter Just Began An Attempt To Break The Coveted Colorado Trail FKT" I exited the meadow and eventually the wilderness, only to begin the longest night of my hiking life. I will have a Garmin InReach for tracking, camera on my phone, and will post on IG/FB as Im able (milissajayn). It was worthy of a picture and a few moments of observance. The CT also hosts an informal mountain bike race. With the strength left in my legs, it wouldn’t necessarily be a sprint, but a mental success at arriving within a realistic distance of the end. It felt like just another day of extreme physical exertion. And now Scott Jaime has just set an overall supported FKT of the 486-mile Colorado Trail, which stretches between Durango and west of Denver through some of the state’s finest mountain scenery. In a fit of rage, I stuffed my tent and sleeping bag in my pack and took off. Murphy's report includes the following lines that I think will resonnate with many who engage in these types of individual adventures: I felt almost a fake satisfaction that the heavy weight I was carrying would not slow down my pace. I will have plenty of witnesses, photo documentation, and written documentation in addition to the DeLorme. They all wanted a picture of me and I obliged. Episode 18. It reminded me of my FKT on Cerro Chirripo in Costa Rica. Mikaela Osler left the Colorado Trail near Denver on the morning of July 30. I stowed the rest of the bar in my pocket. I would dry the icy mess out later. It would not be for long, and the trail quickly followed the road then took on more switchbacks to climb back up to 11,000’. Mon, 07/09/2018 - 08:19pm. Day 3 (8/06):  Hwy 114, 182.2 miles in 3 days! In reply to I'd like to publicly… by William Wells. It was a smooth morning, but after I crossed over County Road 306, the dread of a hot climb encompassed me. I went from inspired at Kenosha Pass to simply ready to be done. Would love to meet this guy. A very detailed report with daily splits is on Forry's blog. In September, McElveen set out to best the 3-day and 21-hour unsupported bikepacking FKT on the Colorado Trail. Here are some exerpts from Horton's report on the blog of his trip: Any time elevation is so casually lost, it is followed by a bit of remorse. But I had somehow never done the Colorado Trail. Paul clocked 8 days, 12 hrs, 14 mins, 5 seconds, bettering the previous mark by about one and a quarter hours. The CT record is very TOUGH. Also tracking with my COROS and uploading to Strava. I have a Garmin to track location (made public when finished), will keep a log on my phone, pictures with time stamps to verify and post to Instagram @paigepasquini when service permits. Also on the Colorado Trail, going from east to west, Andre Michaud is in an attempt to break Joe Grant’s supported FKT record going in that direction. In September, McElveen set out to best the 3-day and 21-hour unsupported bikepacking FKT on the Colorado Trail. I was moving at 2 miles per hour with many breaks mixed in. After one tiny bite my stomach turned and I began dry heaving. It was the perfect storm to keep myself in position to be successful. alex.wright Bakwin got injured after 7 days and had to stop. I am sharing my Garmin link so you can follow my progress along the way and verify a new record if one is set. 31 likes. The terrain would transition from the gentle pine-needle covered trail of yesterday afternoon to multiple climbs and descents. There will be no live tracking due to battery life. Ice clung to my sleeping bag when I woke up at 4 am. Coup carried a big pack full of food, but also lost 25 lbs body weight on the hike. Someone will always be faster … I thought it was possible to do this in 8 days flat, and I couldn’t do that ... someone else probably can, if they can run more. I'd like to publicly announce that I will be attempting the overall unsupported fkt on the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango starting this Saturday 7/14/2018. I will be caching food, picking up mail drops, and buying food along the way. The climb was relatively gentle, but the heat was drastically different from the cool weather and precipitation of the last two days. Despite the quick pace, being a decent human came first. ), we see no reason to dispute his claim of a new unsupported FKT. Hope you have a safe and successful journey! Would love to meet this guy. The Colorado Trail FKT write-up and record boards. My body felt almost too good as I sailed through 30 miles, and then 40 miles at a pace well beyond what I had anticipated. It will be a huge challenge as their times are very strong. Day 9 (8/12):  At 10PM David took a break of less than 3 hours at Wellington Lake Rd, 40.4 miles to go. I left at 1 AM and reached Waterton (the northern terminous) at 12:15 AM the next night. Pre-COVID, FKTs were popular primarily among elite athletes “bored with running,” said Colorado trail running legend Buzz Burrell, who co-founded the FKT website. So many things went w, This error message is only visible to WordPress admins, Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT) Thru Hike Blog (2014), Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT) Pictures (2014), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Thru Hike Blog (2011). It's in Colorado. Shawn Forry’s unsupported FKT novel of a recap (10,000 words). As I twisted and turned over ridges and aspen forests, my mind was only on the future and the awaiting cross of Kenosha Pass. I filled up water from Lujan Creek before finally climbing into the mountains and away from the questionable water sources. The precipitation slammed my face and soaked through my rain gear. But then a disturbance to my left stopped me and I saw a giant bull moose shaking his head in the bushes. Paul shared more interesting thoughts: I will carry everything except water from start to finish. Given this, I wish to challenge this being the new UNsupported record. The journey that you are about to embark upon follows a portion, or perhaps the entire 485 miles of recreational trail that crosses Colorado from Denver to Durango. Really a shame as she seemed to be doing very well! It took everything that I had to finish each day. The CT was first done this way in 2004 by Demetri (Coup) Coupounas, the founder of GoLite, in about 20 days. Waterton Canyon was hot and heat glistened off the gravel. First FKT. He started at 5 … The plan was to change my sleep schedule for the second half of the FKT, but when I went to sleep on night five I postponed the style change for another day. The daytime high would peak around 100 degrees and I knew my final few miles through the canyon would be hot. The trail itself was tougher than I thought it would be. I am planning a FKT attempt for self-supported Colorado Trail East-West w CWE route. Every mile my hands fell to my knees for a session of dry heaving. Rayden Spano My connection to the CO Trail is strong, and I'm really looking forward to spending the next 9ish days out there! Immediately pressure and liquid was released from my foot and I felt better. The last third had become a battle of desire and feasibility. I never knew at night if I would be able to go again the next day... Could I have run the next day? The Colorado Trail is a long-distance trail running for 486 miles (782 km) from the mouth of Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver to Durango in Colorado, United States.Its highest point is 13,271 feet (4,045 m) above sea level, and most of the trail is above 10,000 feet (3,000 m). American ultrarunning phenom Courtney Dauwalter started a week-long fastest known time (FKT) attempt on the Colorado Trail on Wednesday. Depending on the route, the CT comprises between 490 and 567 miles of trail between Denver and Durango and passes through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Colorado Rockies. I pushed through the demoralizing weather. It was short and I woke up ready to move quickly. I’m excited to follow behind those who have hiked before me especially those who have set/ attempted the fkt already. Williams went west to east and took the Collegiate West option, which appears to be a little (83 vs. 78 miles) longer than the standard Collegiate East route, with a more vertical and overall higher elevation. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Yale, and Mt. The last few moments on the high divide provided views that rivaled the San Juans. It didn’t. The link to my SPOT device that I’ll be using to track. Each day I felt so good getting through the first 30 miles, but the last 20 felt harder each day that went by. In the absence of water, my thirst had gone from uncomfortable to the early stages of dehydration. Mon, 05/20/2019 - 10:56am. From the highway, the trail climbed. I posted the link on Facebook, and my husband, other crew, and friends who run with me likely will update that post with information and pictures (or create separate posts) on a regular basis. I took multiple breaks on the 3,600’ climb up to 12,400’. I'll be tracking on my watch and uploading to Strava - https://www.strava.com/athletes/24593115 . Feeling real now that it’s on the page! He started on September 14 in … Every crooked limb on a tree or downed log immediately became a limb of a walking night creature. Physical Aspect of records and multi-day FKTS. I had tried incorporating faster miles into my days with the hopes of maintaining a striking distance of breaking my arbitrary goal of a 9-day unsupported hike. I cruised over the hills in a refreshingly chilly breeze. Slowly after the crest, my route dropped down to Clear Creek Road. It was a long climb. Doing it fully self supported - no pacers, no crews, no friends meeting me to drop supplies or hike with me. Massive Trailhead and entered several miles of wilderness. Jamie's supported FKT was broken by Bryan Williams, who ran the CT in 8d0h30m, August 26 - September 3, 2017. Not only was he impressed I knew the mascot of LSU, but he also couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea of backpacking for 500 miles. My feet were swollen and my shin hurt, but decided to go for broke and pay the price after. Courtney Dauwalter is currently attempting the 500mile FKT of the Colorado Trail, trying to beat the current record of 8 days and 30 min.